Groups in Heavenly Scenes (Communion of Saints)
Basic Info
Depictions of Heaven often include groups of angels and saints. The angels tend not to be specific angels (except the 4 archangels), but the saints tend to be very specific. Depicting the saints all together in Heaven is often understood to be a depiction of the Communion of Saints.
The theology behind the idea of the Communion of Saints is that when people die who have been very close to God or very graced by God during their lifetimes, they reside in Heaven close to God and to one another. Even if they died centuries ago, they are understood to be alive in Heaven for all eternity. As a group, they are understood to form a holy alliance that is in solidarity with human beings who want to be faithful, good, and hopeful. In effect, this group continues to be graced and faithful, committed to God and living people can, sort of, ride their energy. If human life is understood as a race, the Communion of Saints is like a big cheering section of people who have already won the race, helping each living person stay the course. Their lives also provide a wide variety of roadmaps for how to surrender to God’s will.
In the Christian art tradition, scenes of Heaven often include this group as a way to remind viewers that they are not alone. The most common depictions of Heaven in the art tradition are the Last Judgment and the Coronation of Mary.
What to Look For
- Unifying features of the saints (halos, clothing, facial expression, etc.)
- Differences among the saints (hair, clothing, facial expression, etc.)
- The object of the saints’ attention (God, the action in the artwork, human beings still on earth, etc.)
- Particular pairings or groupings of saints
- Hierarchy or order in the arrangement of the saints
Questions to Focus a General Interpretation
Does the artwork present the saints with enough detail that any viewer could figure out how they all were close to God, or does the artist expect that the viewer will already know the stories of the saints?
Does the artwork seem to lean more toward presenting the Communion of Saints as a model for human life, as a cheering section always ready to help the viewer with prayers and encouragement, or as some combination of these?
Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation
How does the depiction of the Communion of Saints in this artwork relate to the highly rational, consumerist, materialist, globalized world of the 21st century?
What is your reaction to the idea that a group like the one depicted here is eager to support you in opening to God’s grace?
Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation
Saints go through cycles of popularity from age to age. Based on this artwork, what kinds of saints seem to be popular in the artist’s time and place? What was going on in that time and place (economically, politically, socially, environmentally) that might have influenced the popularity?
